2 killed, 3rd critically injured in Joliet crash

Two Chicago men were killed and a Peoria man was seriously injured after car struck a tree and a traffic signal in Joliet, police said.

Jonathan Bundley 31, and William Burke III, 55, were identified as the victims who were killed in the single-vehicle crash that occurred on early Monday morning, according to the Will County Coroner’s Office.

Burke was the victim who was ejected from the a 2016 Chevrolet Impala, said Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

A 40-year-old man was identified by Joliet police as the third victim of the crash. He was still inside the car when emergency crews arrived at the scene and he was “entangled in the wreckage,” said Joliet Fire Chief Greg Blaskey.

“Fire crews, utilizing extrication tools, removed the wreckage away from the victim in order to free him,” Blaskey said.

The man was taken to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet in critical condition.

The cause of the deadly crash has yet to be determined.

“The traffic unit is actively working to determine the factors that led up to this crash,” English said.

He said crash investigators believe Bundley was the driver.

Shortly before 3 a.m. Monday, officers responded to the crash, which occurred at the intersection of West Jefferson Street and Raynor Avenue, police said.

A preliminary investigation of the crash showed the Impala was heading east on Jefferson Street and approaching Raynor Avenue when “it appeared the vehicle failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway,” police said.

“The vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree and traffic signal, causing the vehicle to break apart,” police said.

Burke was ejected from the vehicle and both he and Bundley him were pronounced deceased at the scene, police said.

The intersection where the crash occurred was closed for the investigation. Jefferson Street was closed between Manor Court and Hunter Avenue.

About eight hours later, Jefferson Street was reopened.

Joliet police have responded to many violent crashes this spring.

On Friday, a 23-year-old motorist was killed and a 34-year-old passenger was hospitalized in critical condition after a single-vehicle crash at Route 6 and Terminal Court. The vehicle caught fire and wrapped around a traffic signal pole, police said. The coroner’s office has not yet identified the motorist as of Monday afternoon.

On May 1, a 30-year-old Romeoville man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries resulting from a two-vehicle crash in front of Ecolab in Joliet.

He was a passenger in a sedan driven by a 27-year-old Minooka man. Their vehicle was struck head-on by a van driven by Virgilio Burizar, 22, of South Carolina, who was preliminarily cited for improper lane usage, police said.

Joliet police are investigating an April 4 crash on Plainfield Road in Joliet that led to the hospitalization of six people, including two juveniles. They are also investigating the single-vehicle crash just west of the Cass Street bridge that resulted in the death of 19-year-old Juan Pablo Salazar.